Systems and methods for providing interactive time-lapse selection for captured media content

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can provide an interactive slider element for selecting a time-lapse amount for captured media content. A selection of the time-lapse amount can be received via the interactive slider element. A stabilized time-lapse media content item having the time-lapse amount associated with the selection can be generated based on the captured media content. The stabilized time-lapse media content item can be presented.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present technology relates to the field of time-lapse media content.More particularly, the present technology relates to techniques forproviding interactive time-lapse selection for captured media content.

BACKGROUND

Today, people often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a widevariety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices to, forexample, interact with one another, create content, share information,and access information. In some instances, a user of a computing devicecan utilize a camera or other image sensor of the computing device tocapture or record media content, such as images and/or videos. In oneexample, the user can utilize the camera to capture or record atime-lapse video.

Conventional approaches to capturing media content generally involve theuser first configuring the camera (or other sensor) and then using theconfigured camera to capture the media content. Conventional approachesto capturing time-lapse media content can require the user to first seta time-lapse rate and then capture the time-lapse media content at thealready set time-lapse rate. However, this can be uninteresting andlacking in interactivity. Moreover, under conventional approaches, ifthe user wishes to capture another time-lapse media content using adifferent time-lapse rate, then the user must set the time-lapse rate tothe different rate prior to capturing the other time-lapse media. Assuch, conventional approaches can be inconvenient, inefficient, anduninteresting, and can create challenges for or reduce the overall userexperience associated with utilizing computing devices (or systems) tocapture media content.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure can include systems,methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured toprovide an interactive slider element for selecting a time-lapse amountfor captured media content. A selection of the time-lapse amount can bereceived via the interactive slider element. A stabilized time-lapsemedia content item having the time-lapse amount associated with theselection can be generated based on the captured media content. Thestabilized time-lapse media content item can be presented.

In an embodiment, an efficient representation of the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item can be generated. The efficientrepresentation can be presented during the generating of the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item. There can be a switch from the presentingof the efficient representation to the presenting of the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item when the generating of the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item has completed.

In an embodiment, the presenting of the efficient representation can beperformed within an allowable time deviation from the receiving of theselection of the time-lapse amount via the interactive slider element.

In an embodiment, the generating of the efficient representation canfurther comprise approximating at least some orientations associatedwith frames to be included in the stabilized time-lapse media contentitem. The frames can be identified based on the time-lapse amountassociated with the selection.

In an embodiment, a second selection of a second time-lapse amount canbe received via the interactive slider element. A second stabilizedtime-lapse media content item having the second time-lapse amountassociated with the second selection can be generated based on thecaptured media content. The second stabilized time-lapse media contentitem can be presented.

In an embodiment, the interactive slider element can provide a pluralityof selectable time-lapse amount options. The selection of the time-lapseamount can correspond to one selectable time-lapse amount option out ofthe plurality of selectable time-lapse amount options.

In an embodiment, the plurality of selectable time-lapse amount optionscan include at least one of a 1× time-lapse amount option, a 2×time-lapse amount option, a 4× time-lapse amount option, a 6× time-lapseamount option, an 8× time-lapse amount option, a 10× time-lapse amountoption, or a 12× time-lapse amount option.

In an embodiment, a first playback time associated with the capturedmedia content can be presented. In some cases, a second playback timeassociated with the stabilized time-lapse media content item having thetime-lapse amount can be presented.

In an embodiment, an indication of the time-lapse amount can bepresented within an allowable time deviation from the receiving of theselection of the time-lapse amount. In some instances, the indicationcan fade over time.

In an embodiment, an option to store, at least temporarily, thestabilized time-lapse media content item can be provided.

It should be appreciated that many other features, applications,embodiments, and/or variations of the disclosed technology will beapparent from the accompanying drawings and from the following detaileddescription. Additional and/or alternative implementations of thestructures, systems, non-transitory computer readable media, and methodsdescribed herein can be employed without departing from the principlesof the disclosed technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system including an example time-lapsemedia content module configured to facilitate time-lapse selectionsubsequent to capturing media content, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example frame subset module configured tofacilitate time-lapse selection subsequent to capturing media content,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example stabilization module configured tofacilitate time-lapse selection subsequent to capturing media content,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example time-lapse selection module configured tofacilitate providing interactive time-lapse selection for captured mediacontent, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example scenario associated with providinginteractive time-lapse selection for captured media content, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example scenario associated with providinginteractive time-lapse selection for captured media content, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method associated with providinginteractive time-lapse selection for captured media content, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method associated with providinginteractive time-lapse selection for captured media content, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a network diagram of an example system that can beutilized in various scenarios, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a computer system that can be utilizedin various scenarios, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

The figures depict various embodiments of the disclosed technology forpurposes of illustration only, wherein the figures use like referencenumerals to identify like elements. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated in the figures can be employedwithout departing from the principles of the disclosed technologydescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Providing Interactive Time-Lapse Selection forCaptured Media Content

People use computing devices (or systems) for a wide variety ofpurposes. Computing devices can provide different kinds offunctionality. Users can utilize their computing devices to produceinformation, access information, and share information. In some cases,computing devices can be utilized to capture or record media content,such as time-lapse media content.

Time-lapse media content can include, but is not limited to, time-lapsephotographs or images, time-lapse videos, motion time-lapse mediacontent, etc. Time-lapse media content can, for example, refer to mediacontent that has been captured or recorded at a frame rate (frames persecond) that is not greater than a frame rate at which the media contentis played back or presented. In one example, under conventionalapproaches, a user of a computing device that corresponds to or includesa camera can configure the camera to capture time-lapse media content,such as by selecting a time-lapse amount for the camera. As a result,the time-lapse media content can be captured at the selected time-lapseamount, such as a recording rate that is selected to be ten times asmuch as a normal or default recording rate. Accordingly, in thisexample, every tenth still frame can be captured or recorded by thecamera, and these still frames can be used to generate the time-lapsemedia content.

However, under conventional approaches, the user cannot view thecaptured time-lapse media content at a different time-lapse amount, suchas at every fourth frame. Also, under conventional approaches, if theuser desires to create another time-lapse media content with a newtime-lapse amount, then the user has to reconfigure the camera (e.g.,select the new time-lapse amount) and capture a new time-lapse mediacontent with the reconfigured camera. Moreover, conventional imagestabilization approaches can sometimes be unnecessarily computationallyintensive. Furthermore, conventional approaches associated withtime-lapse media content can be lacking in user interactivity. As such,these and other similar conventional approaches can be uninteresting,inefficient, and inconvenient.

Therefore, an improved approach can be beneficial for addressing oralleviating various concerns associated with conventional approaches.The disclosed technology enables interactive time-lapse selection forcaptured media content. Various embodiments of the present disclosurecan provide an interactive slider element for selecting a time-lapseamount for captured media content. A selection of the time-lapse amountcan be received via the interactive slider element. A stabilizedtime-lapse media content item having the time-lapse amount associatedwith the selection can be generated based on the captured media content.The stabilized time-lapse media content item can be presented.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 100 including an example time-lapsemedia content module 102 configured to facilitate time-lapse selectionsubsequent to capturing media content, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the time-lapsemedia content module 102 can include a media content capture module 104,a time-lapse selection module 106, a frame subset module 108, astabilization module 110, and a stabilized time-lapse content module112. The components (e.g., modules, elements, etc.) shown in this figureand all figures herein are exemplary only, and other implementations mayinclude additional, fewer, integrated, or different components. Somecomponents may not be shown so as not to obscure relevant details.

In some embodiments, the time-lapse media content module 102 can beimplemented, in part or in whole, as software, hardware, or anycombination thereof. In general, a module as discussed herein can beassociated with software, hardware, or any combination thereof. In someimplementations, one or more functions, tasks, and/or operations ofmodules can be carried out or performed by software routines, softwareprocesses, hardware, and/or any combination thereof. In some cases, thetime-lapse media content module 102 can be implemented, in part or inwhole, as software running on one or more computing devices or systems,such as on a user or client computing device. For example, thetime-lapse media content module 102 can be implemented as or within anapplication (e.g., app), a program, or an applet, etc., running on auser computing device or client computing system. In another example,the time-lapse media content module 102 can be implemented using one ormore computing devices or systems that include one or more servers, suchas network servers or cloud servers. In some instances, the time-lapsemedia content module 102 can, in part or in whole, be implemented withinor configured to operate in conjunction with a social networking system(or service), such as the social networking system 930 of FIG. 9. Itshould be understood that many variations are possible.

The media content capture module 104 can be configured to facilitatecapturing media content including an original set of frames. In someembodiments, the media content capture module 104 can be configured tooperate with a camera utilized by or otherwise associated with thetime-lapse media content module 102. The media content capture module104 can cause the camera to capture media content, such as a video or aseries of images (e.g., still frames). The images or still frames cancorrespond to the original set of frames. In one example, the mediacontent including the original set of frames can be captured or recordedat 24 frames per second, 30 frames per second, 60 frames per second, oranother suitable rate.

The time-lapse selection module 106 can be configured to facilitatereceiving a selection of a time-lapse amount (or time-lapse rate). Insome embodiments, the selection of the time-lapse amount can be from auser of the time-lapse media content module 102. In someimplementations, the selection of the time-lapse amount can correspondto a default selection, a predefined selection, or a system selection.In some instances, the time-lapse amount can indicate how muchtime-lapse is to be applied to the captured media content including theoriginal set of frames. In one example, if the selected time-lapseamount corresponds to “2×” (i.e., “×2”, “times 2”, etc.), then onlyevery other frame in the original set of frames is relevant and theremaining frames are to be disregarded. As such, in this example, thesecond frame, the fourth frame, the sixth frame, etc., will be includedin a time-lapse media content item generated based on the captured mediacontent including the original frames and based on the 2× time-lapseamount selection, whereas the first frame, the third frame, the fifthframe, etc., will be disregarded. Alternatively, for example, the firstframe, the third frame, the fifth frame, etc., can be included in thetime-lapse media content item while the second frame, the fourth frame,the sixth frame, etc., are discarded.

In another example, if the selected time-lapse amount is “10×” (i.e.,“×10”, “times 10”, etc.), then only every 10th frame in the original setis relevant and the other frames are disregarded. Accordingly, in thisexample, only the tenth frame, the twentieth frame, the thirtieth frame,etc., will be included in a time-lapse media content item generatedbased on the captured media content and the 10× selection.Alternatively, for example, the first frame, the eleventh frame, thetwenty-first frame, etc., can be included in the time-lapse mediacontent item while the other frames are disregarded. It should beunderstood that many variations are possible. More details regarding thetime-lapse selection module 106 will be provided below with reference toFIG. 4.

The frame subset module 108 can be configured to facilitate identifying,based on the time-lapse amount, a subset of frames from the original setof frames. For example, as discussed above, if the time-lapse amount isselected to be “2×”, then the subset of frames can be identified toinclude the second frame, the fourth frame, the sixth frame, and soforth (or alternatively, the first frame, the third frame, the fifthframe, etc.). In another example, as discussed previously, if thetime-lapse amount is selected to be “10×”, then the subset of frames canbe identified to include the tenth frame, the twentieth frame, thethirtieth frame, and so forth (or alternatively, the first frame, theeleventh frame, the twenty-first frame, etc.). As such, based on thetime-lapse amount, the subset of frames can exclude at least some framesfrom the original set of frames. The frame subset module 108 will bedescribed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2.

The stabilization module 110 can be configured to facilitate applying anorientation-based image stabilization process to the subset of frames toproduce a stabilized subset of frames. For example, theorientation-based image stabilization process can utilize, as input, thesubset of frames and orientation data associated with the subset toframes to produce or output the stabilized subset of frames. Moredetails regarding the stabilization module 110 will be provided belowwith reference to FIG. 3.

Moreover, the stabilized time-lapse content module 112 can be configuredto facilitate providing a stabilized time-lapse media content item basedon the stabilized subset of frames. In some implementations, thestabilized time-lapse content module 112 can be configured to facilitateutilizing, at least in part, the stabilized subset of frames to generatethe stabilized time-lapse media content item. In some embodiments, thestabilized time-lapse content module 112 can be configured to facilitatepresenting or displaying the stabilized time-lapse media content itemgenerated based on the stabilized subset of frames. In one example, thestabilized time-lapse content module 112 can generate and provide apreview of the stabilized time-lapse media content item. It isappreciated there can be many variations, applications, and/or otherpossibilities. For example, in some cases, the stabilized time-lapsecontent module 112 can facilitate sharing the stabilized time-lapsemedia content item via at least one social networking system.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, a second selection of a secondtime-lapse amount can be received. For example, the time-lapse selectionmodule 106 can receive the second selection of the second time-lapseamount from a user of the time-lapse media content module 102. Thesecond time-lapse amount can be different from the previous time-lapseamount. Based on the second time-lapse amount, a second subset of framescan be identified from the original set of frames. In this example, theframe subset module 108 can identify, based on the second time-lapseamount, the second subset of frames from the original set of frames.Since the second time-lapse amount is different from the firsttime-lapse amount, at least some frames in the second subset can bedifferent from at least some frames in the previous subset and differentfrom at least some frames in the original set. Further, theorientation-based image stabilization process can be applied to thesecond subset of frames to produce a stabilized second subset of frames.The stabilization module 110 can, for example, utilize orientation dataassociated with the second subset and apply the orientation-based imagestabilization process to the second subset of frames to produce thestabilized second subset of frames. A second stabilized time-lapse mediacontent item can be provided based on the stabilized second subset offrames. For example, based on the stabilized second subset of frames,the stabilized time-lapse content module 112 can generate and present asecond stabilized time-lapse media content item. It is contemplated thatmany variations are possible.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example frame subset module 202 configured tofacilitate time-lapse selection subsequent to capturing media content,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the frame subset module 108 of FIG. 1 can be implemented asthe example frame subset module 202. In some instances, the exampleframe subset module 202 can be configured to identify, based on thetime-lapse amount, a subset of frames from the original set of frames,as discussed above. As shown in FIG. 2, the frame subset module 202 caninclude an identification module 204 and a time-lapse amount module 206.

The time-lapse amount module 204 can be configured to acquire atime-lapse amount on which the identifying of the subset of frames canbe based. In some embodiments, a selection of the time-lapse amount canbe received by the time-lapse selection module 106 of FIG. 1 and thetime-lapse selection module 106 can provide the time-lapse amount,received in the selection, to the time-lapse amount module 204.

The identification module 206 can communicate and/or operate inconjunction with the time-lapse amount module 204 to utilize thetime-lapse amount in identifying the subset of frames. In some cases, ifthe time-lapse amount is associated with a numeric value N, then theidentification module 206 can identify every N-th frame from theoriginal set to be included in the subset. For example, if thetime-lapse amount corresponds to “2” (e.g., “2×”, “×2”, “times 2”,etc.), then the identification module 206 can identify the second frame,the fourth frame, the sixth frame, etc., from the original set, whiledisregarding the others. As such, in this example, a 2× time-lapse mediacontent item can be generated based (at least in part) on the subset offrames including the second frame, the fourth frame, the sixth frame,etc.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example stabilization module 302 configured tofacilitate time-lapse selection subsequent to capturing media content,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the stabilization module 110 of FIG. 1 can be implementedas the example stabilization module 302. In some cases, the examplestabilization module 302 can be configured to apply an orientation-basedimage stabilization process to the subset of frames to produce astabilized subset of frames, as discussed previously. As shown in FIG.3, the stabilization module 302 can include a frame acquisition module304, an orientation data acquisition module 306, and an adaptive zoommodule 308.

The frame acquisition module 304 can be configured to acquire a set offrames to be stabilized (and to acquire information associated with theframes). In some embodiments, the frame acquisition module 304 canacquire the subset of frames identified by the identification module 206of FIG. 2. The frame acquisition module 304 can also acquire timeinformation associated with the frames, such as time data for each framein the subset of frames. For example, the frame acquisition module 304can acquire a respective timestamp for each frame in the subset.

The orientation data acquisition module 306 can be configured tofacilitate acquiring orientation data indicative of one or moreorientations of a camera. The camera can correspond to the cameraconfigured to capture the media content including the original set offrames, as discussed above. In some cases, the camera can undergomovement that causes the one or more orientations of the camera tochange over time. For example, when the camera is held by a user, thecamera can experience shaking from the user's hand. In another example,the camera can experience one or more changes in orientation when theuser walks, runs, jumps, etc., while using the camera. In a furtherexample, when the camera is used on a transportation vessel (e.g.,bicycle, automobile, boat, airplane, etc.), the camera can also undergomovement. The orientation data acquisition module 306 can acquireorientation data associated with the camera, which can indicate changesin the camera's orientation. In addition, the orientation data caninclude timestamps such that the stabilization module 302 can determinethe camera's orientation at a particular time.

In some implementations, the orientation-based image stabilizationprocess can utilize at least a portion of the orientation data. Theportion of the orientation data utilized by the orientation-based imagestabilization process can be associated with the time data for eachframe in the subset of frames. For example, the orientation-based imagestabilization process can utilize the portion of the orientation datathat has timestamps corresponding to the timestamps of the subset offrames.

Based on at least the portion of the orientation data and the subset offrames, the orientation-based image stabilization process can produce astabilized time-lapse media content item. In some embodiments, theorientation-based image stabilization process can utilize a set of imageframes having associated time stamps. The set of image frames can beincluded, for example, in digital video data. In one example, the set ofimage frames can correspond to the subset of frames identified from theoriginal set of frames included in the captured media content. Applyingthe stabilization process to only the subset can be more efficient andcan produce better stabilization results than attempting to stabilizethe entire original set of frames included in the captured mediacontent.

Moreover, the orientation-based image stabilization process can utilizea set of camera orientation data having associated time stamps. Asdiscussed, the orientation-based image stabilization process can, forexample, utilize at least the portion of the orientation data that isassociated with the time data for each frame in the subset of frames.The orientation-based image stabilization process can also generate asmoothed set of camera orientation data by minimizing a rate of rotationbetween successive image frames while minimizing empty regions below athreshold. Furthermore, the orientation-based image stabilizationprocess can warp the set of image frames based on the smoothed set ofcamera orientation data. Accordingly, the orientation-based imagestabilization process can produce the warped set of image frames, fromwhich the stabilized time-lapse media content item is generated ordeveloped. It should be appreciated that there can be many variations,applications, and/or other possibilities.

In some cases, the stabilized time-lapse media content item cancorrespond to a stabilized hyperlapse media content item. For example,when the media content including the original set of frames is capturedwhile the camera is moved across a distance over a duration of time, thestabilized time-lapse media content item can be produced as a stabilizedhyperlapse media content item.

Furthermore, in some implementations, the orientation-based imagestabilization process can include utilizing the adaptive zoom module 308to apply adaptive zoom with respect to the subset of frames to producethe stabilized subset of frames. The adaptive zoom can be dependent uponat least the portion of the orientation data. In some cases, theadaptive zoom can include a technique for cropping or zooming frames,such as the subset of frames identified from the original set of frames.The adaptive zoom can allow individual frames to be translated, rotated,or warped to counteract undesired deformations introduced by hand shakeor other undesirable changes in orientation. The amount of cropping orzooming can determine how much leeway (or “wiggle room”) is available toremove or reduce these deformations. If, for example, a particular frameis translated too far, empty regions (e.g., regions which have no pixeldata) can be visible. The orientation-based image stabilization processcan smooth out undesirable camera motion by counteracting changes incamera orientation, and can do so while preventing empty regions fromshowing up. The adaptive zoom can attempt to achieve an optimal orsuitable zoom depending on the amount of changes in orientation.

For example, if the camera had undergone significant orientationchanges, such as rotations (e.g., clockwise and/or counterclockwiserelative to a lens of the camera), while capturing the media content,then the adaptive zoom can increase the zooming or cropping of theframes in the identified subset. If, however, the camera had undergoneslight orientation changes (e.g., rotations), then the adaptive zoom canutilize a lesser zooming or cropping of the frames in the identifiedsubset. There can be many variations and other possibilities.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example time-lapse selection module 402 configuredto facilitate providing interactive time-lapse selection for capturedmedia content, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Insome embodiments, the time-lapse selection module 106 of FIG. 1 can beimplemented as the example time-lapse selection module 402. As shown inFIG. 4, the time-lapse selection module 402 can include an interactiveslider element 404 and a selection acquisition module 406. In someembodiments, the time-lapse selection module 402 can include anefficient representation module 408.

The interactive slider element module 404 can be configured tofacilitate providing an interactive slider element for selecting atime-lapse amount for captured media content. In one example, theinteractive slider element module 404 can render, generate, or otherwiseprovide the interactive slider element or slide bar, which can include aslider (e.g., sliding icon, sliding knob, etc.) as well as a slide path(e.g., track, bounded pathway, etc.) through which the slider can bemoved. The slider and the slide path can be presented on a display of acomputing device or system, which can also be associated with a camerafor capturing the media content. The display can, for example,correspond to a touch screen or touch display. As such, a user caninteract with the interactive slider element by using his or her fingerto touch and move the slider across the touch screen.

In some implementations, the interactive slider element can provide aplurality of selectable time-lapse amount options. Each of theselectable time-lapse amount options can correspond to a discreteposition along the slide path. In some cases, the slide path cancorrespond to an interface element displayed as a bounded maneuverablepath for the slider. In one example, there can be seven selectabletime-lapse amount options where each of the seven options is spacedequally apart from an adjacent option. In some instances, the pluralityof selectable time-lapse amount options includes at least one of a 1×time-lapse amount option, a 2× time-lapse amount option, a 4× time-lapseamount option, a 6× time-lapse amount option, an 8× time-lapse amountoption, a 10× time-lapse amount option, or a 12× time-lapse amountoption. In other examples, other numbers of selectable time-lapse amountoptions can be provided.

Moreover, the selection acquisition module 406 can be configured tofacilitate acquiring or receiving a selection of the time-lapse amountvia the interactive slider element. As discussed above, the interactiveslider element can, for example, provide a plurality of selectabletime-lapse amount options. The selection of the time-lapse amount,received or acquired by the selection acquisition module 406, cancorrespond to one selectable time-lapse amount option out of theplurality of selectable time-lapse amount options.

In one example, the interactive slider element provided by thetime-lapse selection module 402 can enable the user to touch and holddown his or her finger on the slider presented via the touch screen. Theuser can move the slider with his or her finger to a particular slidepath position. For example, when the user moves the slider to aparticular slide path position corresponding to 4×, the selectionacquisition module 406 can receive or acquire a selection of the 4×time-lapse amount.

Continuing with the example, subsequent to receiving the selection ofthe 4× time-lapse amount, a stabilized time-lapse media content itemhaving the time-lapse amount (e.g., 4×) associated with the selectioncan be generated based on the captured media content. In some cases, thestabilized time-lapse content module 112 of FIG. 1 can facilitate thegenerating of the stabilized time-lapse media content item. Furthermore,the stabilized time-lapse media content item can be presented, such asby the stabilized time-lapse content module 112.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the efficient representation module408 can be configured to facilitate generating an efficientrepresentation of the stabilized time-lapse media content item. In someinstances, the generating of the stabilized time-lapse media contentitem can take some time, whereas the efficient representation can begenerated much more quickly. As such, the efficient representationmodule 408 can generate and present the efficient representation withinan allowable time deviation from the receiving of the selection of thetime-lapse amount via the interactive slider element. For example, theefficient representation module 408 can generate and present theefficient representation substantially immediately (e.g., appearing tobe instantaneously or near instantaneously) subsequent to the receivingof the selection of the time-lapse amount.

The efficient representation can be presented during the generating ofthe stabilized time-lapse media content item. In some cases, theefficient representation can be presented repeatedly. When thegenerating of the stabilized time-lapse media content item hascompleted, the efficient representation module 408 can cause thepresenting of the efficient representation to be switched to thepresenting of the stabilized time-lapse media content item.

As discussed previously, the generating of the stabilized time-lapsemedia content item can involve acquiring and analyzing orientation dataassociated with frames, identified based on the selected time-lapseamount, to be included in the stabilized time-lapse media content item.The analyzing of the orientation data can cause orientations (orrepresentations thereof) associated with the frames to be determined. Insome cases, the efficient representation module 408 can generate theefficient representation based on approximating at least some of theorientations associated with the frames to be included in the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item. For example, an orientation of a frametemporally between two other frames with two other orientations can beapproximated by interpolating between the two other orientations.Accordingly, the efficient representation can be generated more quicklythan the stabilized time-lapse media content item, and the efficientrepresentation can be presented while the stabilized time-lapse mediacontent item is still being generated. In some cases, the efficientrepresentation can, for example, be generated based on dropping orremoving certain frames from another previously generated efficientrepresentation. It should be appreciated that many variations arepossible.

Furthermore, in some implementations, the selection of the time-lapseamount can correspond to a default selection, a predefined selection, ora system selection, as discussed above. In one example, subsequent tothe media content being captured or recorded, a time-lapse media contentitem having a default selection of, for example, a 6× time-lapse amountcan be generated and presented. When the user selects a new time-lapseamount, another time-lapse media content item having the newly selectedtime-lapse amount can be generated and presented. Again, it iscontemplated that many variations are possible.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example scenario 500 associated with providinginteractive time-lapse selection for captured media content, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. The example scenario 500illustrates an example computing device (or system) 502. The examplecomputing device 502 can include at least one camera, such as arear-facing camera 504. The at least one camera 504 can be configured tocapture media content, from which a time-lapse media content item can begenerated. The computing device 502 can also include a display, such asa touch display or touch screen 506.

As shown, the computing device 502 can be configured to provide aninteractive slider element 508 for selecting a time-lapse amount forcaptured media content. In the example scenario 500, the interactiveslider element 508 can include a slider or sliding icon 510 as well as aslide path or track 512. The slider or sliding icon 510 can be movedthrough the slide path or track 512, such as by a user's finger glidingacross the touch screen 506.

The interactive slider element 508 can provide a plurality of selectabletime-lapse amount options, such as in the form of discrete slide pathpositions (e.g., items 514). In this example, each of the discrete slidepath positions can respectively correspond to one of a 1× time-lapseamount option, a 2× time-lapse amount option, a 4× time-lapse amountoption, a 6× time-lapse amount option, an 8× time-lapse amount option, a10× time-lapse amount option, and a 12× time-lapse amount option. Whenthe slider 510 is moved to and/or positioned at one of the slide pathpositions, the corresponding time-lapse amount can be selected. In theexample scenario 500, the selected time-lapse amount can correspond to6× and can be associated with the middle slide path position.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example scenario 600 associated with providinginteractive time-lapse selection for captured media content, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. The example scenario 600illustrates an example computing device (or system) 602 configured toprovide an interactive slider element 608 for selecting a time-lapseamount for captured media content. The interactive slider element 608can include a slider 610 and a slide path 612. In this example scenario600, the slider 610 has been moved to a slide path positioncorresponding to a 2× time-lapse amount. As a result, the slider 610 candisplay “2×”, the 2× time-lapse amount can be selected, and a stabilizedtime-lapse media content item can be generated based on the 2×time-lapse amount.

In some embodiments, a first playback time 614 associated with thecaptured media content can be presented. The first playback time 614 cancorrespond to a playback duration or length of the original(non-time-lapse) media content that was captured. A second playback time616 associated with the stabilized time-lapse media content item havingthe time-lapse amount can be presented. In this example, the originalmedia content can have a playback length of 12 seconds. When the 2×time-lapse amount is selected, the playback length of the time-lapsemedia content item can correspond to 6 seconds. In addition, when theselection of the time-lapse amount is changed, the second playback timecan be updated accordingly.

In some implementations, an indication 618 of the time-lapse amount canbe presented within an allowable time deviation from the receiving ofthe selection of the time-lapse amount. For example, substantiallyimmediately after moving the slider 610 to the slide path positioncorresponding to the 2× time-lapse amount, an indication 618 of “2×” canbe displayed. In some instances, the indication can fade over time, suchas by gradually disappearing.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method 700 associated with providinginteractive time-lapse selection for captured media content, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be appreciatedthat there can be additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed insimilar or alternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of thevarious embodiments unless otherwise stated.

At block 702, the example method 700 can provide an interactive sliderelement for selecting a time-lapse amount for captured media content. Atblock 704, the example method 700 can receive a selection of thetime-lapse amount via the interactive slider element. At block 706, theexample method 700 can generate, based on the captured media content, astabilized time-lapse media content item having the time-lapse amountassociated with the selection. At block 708, the example method 700 canpresent the stabilized time-lapse media content item.

In some embodiments, a second selection of a second time-lapse amountcan be received via the interactive slider element. A second stabilizedtime-lapse media content item having the second time-lapse amountassociated with the second selection can be generated based on thecaptured media content. The second stabilized time-lapse media contentitem can be presented. In some instances, this can repeat for a thirdselection of a third time-lapse amount, a fourth selection of a fourthtime-lapse amount, and so on. Any suitable number of selections ispossible.

Moreover, in some embodiments, an option to store, at least temporarily,the stabilized time-lapse media content item can be provided. Forexample, there can be an option to save the stabilized time-lapse mediacontent item to a camera roll or other storage element. In anotherexample, the stabilized time-lapse media content item and/or thecaptured media content can be temporarily stored and can be edited at alater time.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method 800 associated with providinginteractive time-lapse selection for captured media content, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. Again, it should beunderstood that there can be additional, fewer, or alternative stepsperformed in similar or alternative orders, or in parallel, within thescope of the various embodiments unless otherwise stated.

At block 802, the example method 800 can generate an efficientrepresentation of the stabilized time-lapse media content item. At block804, the example method 800 can present, during the generating of thestabilized time-lapse media content item, the efficient representation.At block 806, the example method 800 can switch from the presenting ofthe efficient representation to the presenting of the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item when the generating of the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item has completed.

It is contemplated that there can be many other uses, applications,and/or variations associated with the various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In one example, disclosed technology can utilize anothersuitable interface element in addition to or as an alternative to theinteractive slide element. In another example, the user can choosewhether or not to opt-in to utilize the disclosed technology. Thedisclosed technology can also ensure that various privacy settings andpreferences are maintained. In a further example, various embodiments ofthe present disclosure can learn, improve, and/or be refined over time.

Social Networking System—Example Implementation

FIG. 9 illustrates a network diagram of an example system 900 that canbe utilized in various scenarios, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The system 900 includes one or more user devices910, one or more external systems 920, a social networking system (orservice) 930, and a network 950. In an embodiment, the social networkingservice, provider, and/or system discussed in connection with theembodiments described above may be implemented as the social networkingsystem 930. For purposes of illustration, the embodiment of the system900, shown by FIG. 9, includes a single external system 920 and a singleuser device 910. However, in other embodiments, the system 900 mayinclude more user devices 910 and/or more external systems 920. Incertain embodiments, the social networking system 930 is operated by asocial network provider, whereas the external systems 920 are separatefrom the social networking system 930 in that they may be operated bydifferent entities. In various embodiments, however, the socialnetworking system 930 and the external systems 920 operate inconjunction to provide social networking services to users (or members)of the social networking system 930. In this sense, the socialnetworking system 930 provides a platform or backbone, which othersystems, such as external systems 920, may use to provide socialnetworking services and functionalities to users across the Internet.

The user device 910 comprises one or more computing devices (or systems)that can receive input from a user and transmit and receive data via thenetwork 950. In one embodiment, the user device 910 is a conventionalcomputer system executing, for example, a Microsoft Windows compatibleoperating system (OS), Apple OS X, and/or a Linux distribution. Inanother embodiment, the user device 910 can be a computing device or adevice having computer functionality, such as a smart-phone, a tablet, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a laptop computer,a wearable device (e.g., a pair of glasses, a watch, a bracelet, etc.),a camera, an appliance, etc. The user device 910 is configured tocommunicate via the network 950. The user device 910 can execute anapplication, for example, a browser application that allows a user ofthe user device 910 to interact with the social networking system 930.In another embodiment, the user device 910 interacts with the socialnetworking system 930 through an application programming interface (API)provided by the native operating system of the user device 910, such asiOS and ANDROID. The user device 910 is configured to communicate withthe external system 920 and the social networking system 930 via thenetwork 950, which may comprise any combination of local area and/orwide area networks, using wired and/or wireless communication systems.

In one embodiment, the network 950 uses standard communicationstechnologies and protocols. Thus, the network 950 can include linksusing technologies such as Ethernet, 702.11, worldwide interoperabilityfor microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, CDMA, GSM, LTE, digital subscriberline (DSL), etc. Similarly, the networking protocols used on the network950 can include multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), transmissioncontrol protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), User Datagram Protocol(UDP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), simple mail transferprotocol (SMTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), and the like. The dataexchanged over the network 950 can be represented using technologiesand/or formats including hypertext markup language (HTML) and extensiblemarkup language (XML). In addition, all or some links can be encryptedusing conventional encryption technologies such as secure sockets layer(SSL), transport layer security (TLS), and Internet Protocol security(IPsec).

In one embodiment, the user device 910 may display content from theexternal system 920 and/or from the social networking system 930 byprocessing a markup language document 914 received from the externalsystem 920 and from the social networking system 930 using a browserapplication 912. The markup language document 914 identifies content andone or more instructions describing formatting or presentation of thecontent. By executing the instructions included in the markup languagedocument 914, the browser application 912 displays the identifiedcontent using the format or presentation described by the markuplanguage document 914. For example, the markup language document 914includes instructions for generating and displaying a web page havingmultiple frames that include text and/or image data retrieved from theexternal system 920 and the social networking system 930. In variousembodiments, the markup language document 914 comprises a data fileincluding extensible markup language (XML) data, extensible hypertextmarkup language (XHTML) data, or other markup language data.Additionally, the markup language document 914 may include JavaScriptObject Notation (JSON) data, JSON with padding (JSONP), and JavaScriptdata to facilitate data-interchange between the external system 920 andthe user device 910. The browser application 912 on the user device 910may use a JavaScript compiler to decode the markup language document914.

The markup language document 914 may also include, or link to,applications or application frameworks such as FLASH™ or Unity™applications, the SilverLight™ application framework, etc.

In one embodiment, the user device 910 also includes one or more cookies916 including data indicating whether a user of the user device 910 islogged into the social networking system 930, which may enablemodification of the data communicated from the social networking system930 to the user device 910.

The external system 920 includes one or more web servers that includeone or more web pages 922 a, 922 b, which are communicated to the userdevice 910 using the network 950. The external system 920 is separatefrom the social networking system 930. For example, the external system920 is associated with a first domain, while the social networkingsystem 930 is associated with a separate social networking domain. Webpages 922 a, 922 b, included in the external system 920, comprise markuplanguage documents 914 identifying content and including instructionsspecifying formatting or presentation of the identified content.

The social networking system 930 includes one or more computing devicesfor a social network, including a plurality of users, and providingusers of the social network with the ability to communicate and interactwith other users of the social network. In some instances, the socialnetwork can be represented by a graph, i.e., a data structure includingedges and nodes. Other data structures can also be used to represent thesocial network, including but not limited to databases, objects,classes, meta elements, files, or any other data structure. The socialnetworking system 930 may be administered, managed, or controlled by anoperator. The operator of the social networking system 930 may be ahuman being, an automated application, or a series of applications formanaging content, regulating policies, and collecting usage metricswithin the social networking system 930. Any type of operator may beused.

Users may join the social networking system 930 and then add connectionsto any number of other users of the social networking system 930 to whomthey desire to be connected. As used herein, the term “friend” refers toany other user of the social networking system 930 to whom a user hasformed a connection, association, or relationship via the socialnetworking system 930. For example, in an embodiment, if users in thesocial networking system 930 are represented as nodes in the socialgraph, the term “friend” can refer to an edge formed between anddirectly connecting two user nodes.

Connections may be added explicitly by a user or may be automaticallycreated by the social networking system 930 based on commoncharacteristics of the users (e.g., users who are alumni of the sameeducational institution). For example, a first user specifically selectsa particular other user to be a friend. Connections in the socialnetworking system 930 are usually in both directions, but need not be,so the terms “user” and “friend” depend on the frame of reference.Connections between users of the social networking system 930 areusually bilateral (“two-way”), or “mutual,” but connections may also beunilateral, or “one-way.” For example, if Bob and Joe are both users ofthe social networking system 930 and connected to each other, Bob andJoe are each other's connections. If, on the other hand, Bob wishes toconnect to Joe to view data communicated to the social networking system930 by Joe, but Joe does not wish to form a mutual connection, aunilateral connection may be established. The connection between usersmay be a direct connection; however, some embodiments of the socialnetworking system 930 allow the connection to be indirect via one ormore levels of connections or degrees of separation.

In addition to establishing and maintaining connections between usersand allowing interactions between users, the social networking system930 provides users with the ability to take actions on various types ofitems supported by the social networking system 930. These items mayinclude groups or networks (i.e., social networks of people, entities,and concepts) to which users of the social networking system 930 maybelong, events or calendar entries in which a user might be interested,computer-based applications that a user may use via the socialnetworking system 930, transactions that allow users to buy or sellitems via services provided by or through the social networking system930, and interactions with advertisements that a user may perform on oroff the social networking system 930. These are just a few examples ofthe items upon which a user may act on the social networking system 930,and many others are possible. A user may interact with anything that iscapable of being represented in the social networking system 930 or inthe external system 920, separate from the social networking system 930,or coupled to the social networking system 930 via the network 950.

The social networking system 930 is also capable of linking a variety ofentities. For example, the social networking system 930 enables users tointeract with each other as well as external systems 920 or otherentities through an API, a web service, or other communication channels.The social networking system 930 generates and maintains the “socialgraph” comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality ofedges. Each node in the social graph may represent an entity that canact on another node and/or that can be acted on by another node. Thesocial graph may include various types of nodes. Examples of types ofnodes include users, non-person entities, content items, web pages,groups, activities, messages, concepts, and any other things that can berepresented by an object in the social networking system 930. An edgebetween two nodes in the social graph may represent a particular kind ofconnection, or association, between the two nodes, which may result fromnode relationships or from an action that was performed by one of thenodes on the other node. In some cases, the edges between nodes can beweighted. The weight of an edge can represent an attribute associatedwith the edge, such as a strength of the connection or associationbetween nodes. Different types of edges can be provided with differentweights. For example, an edge created when one user “likes” another usermay be given one weight, while an edge created when a user befriendsanother user may be given a different weight.

As an example, when a first user identifies a second user as a friend,an edge in the social graph is generated connecting a node representingthe first user and a second node representing the second user. Asvarious nodes relate or interact with each other, the social networkingsystem 930 modifies edges connecting the various nodes to reflect therelationships and interactions.

The social networking system 930 also includes user-generated content,which enhances a user's interactions with the social networking system930. User-generated content may include anything a user can add, upload,send, or “post” to the social networking system 930. For example, a usercommunicates posts to the social networking system 930 from a userdevice 910. Posts may include data such as status updates or othertextual data, location information, images such as photos, videos,links, music or other similar data and/or media. Content may also beadded to the social networking system 930 by a third party. Content“items” are represented as objects in the social networking system 930.In this way, users of the social networking system 930 are encouraged tocommunicate with each other by posting text and content items of varioustypes of media through various communication channels. Suchcommunication increases the interaction of users with each other andincreases the frequency with which users interact with the socialnetworking system 930.

The social networking system 930 includes a web server 932, an APIrequest server 934, a user profile store 936, a connection store 938, anaction logger 940, an activity log 942, and an authorization server 944.In an embodiment of the invention, the social networking system 930 mayinclude additional, fewer, or different components for variousapplications. Other components, such as network interfaces, securitymechanisms, load balancers, failover servers, management and networkoperations consoles, and the like are not shown so as to not obscure thedetails of the system.

The user profile store 936 maintains information about user accounts,including biographic, demographic, and other types of descriptiveinformation, such as work experience, educational history, hobbies orpreferences, location, and the like that has been declared by users orinferred by the social networking system 930. This information is storedin the user profile store 936 such that each user is uniquelyidentified. The social networking system 930 also stores data describingone or more connections between different users in the connection store938. The connection information may indicate users who have similar orcommon work experience, group memberships, hobbies, or educationalhistory. Additionally, the social networking system 930 includesuser-defined connections between different users, allowing users tospecify their relationships with other users. For example, user-definedconnections allow users to generate relationships with other users thatparallel the users' real-life relationships, such as friends,co-workers, partners, and so forth. Users may select from predefinedtypes of connections, or define their own connection types as needed.Connections with other nodes in the social networking system 930, suchas non-person entities, buckets, cluster centers, images, interests,pages, external systems, concepts, and the like are also stored in theconnection store 938.

The social networking system 930 maintains data about objects with whicha user may interact. To maintain this data, the user profile store 936and the connection store 938 store instances of the corresponding typeof objects maintained by the social networking system 930. Each objecttype has information fields that are suitable for storing informationappropriate to the type of object. For example, the user profile store936 contains data structures with fields suitable for describing auser's account and information related to a user's account. When a newobject of a particular type is created, the social networking system 930initializes a new data structure of the corresponding type, assigns aunique object identifier to it, and begins to add data to the object asneeded. This might occur, for example, when a user becomes a user of thesocial networking system 930, the social networking system 930 generatesa new instance of a user profile in the user profile store 936, assignsa unique identifier to the user account, and begins to populate thefields of the user account with information provided by the user.

The connection store 938 includes data structures suitable fordescribing a user's connections to other users, connections to externalsystems 920 or connections to other entities. The connection store 938may also associate a connection type with a user's connections, whichmay be used in conjunction with the user's privacy setting to regulateaccess to information about the user. In an embodiment of the invention,the user profile store 936 and the connection store 938 may beimplemented as a federated database.

Data stored in the connection store 938, the user profile store 936, andthe activity log 942 enables the social networking system 930 togenerate the social graph that uses nodes to identify various objectsand edges connecting nodes to identify relationships between differentobjects. For example, if a first user establishes a connection with asecond user in the social networking system 930, user accounts of thefirst user and the second user from the user profile store 936 may actas nodes in the social graph. The connection between the first user andthe second user stored by the connection store 938 is an edge betweenthe nodes associated with the first user and the second user. Continuingthis example, the second user may then send the first user a messagewithin the social networking system 930. The action of sending themessage, which may be stored, is another edge between the two nodes inthe social graph representing the first user and the second user.Additionally, the message itself may be identified and included in thesocial graph as another node connected to the nodes representing thefirst user and the second user.

In another example, a first user may tag a second user in an image thatis maintained by the social networking system 930 (or, alternatively, inan image maintained by another system outside of the social networkingsystem 930). The image may itself be represented as a node in the socialnetworking system 930. This tagging action may create edges between thefirst user and the second user as well as create an edge between each ofthe users and the image, which is also a node in the social graph. Inyet another example, if a user confirms attending an event, the user andthe event are nodes obtained from the user profile store 936, where theattendance of the event is an edge between the nodes that may beretrieved from the activity log 942. By generating and maintaining thesocial graph, the social networking system 930 includes data describingmany different types of objects and the interactions and connectionsamong those objects, providing a rich source of socially relevantinformation.

The web server 932 links the social networking system 930 to one or moreuser devices 910 and/or one or more external systems 920 via the network950. The web server 932 serves web pages, as well as other web-relatedcontent, such as Java, JavaScript, Flash, XML, and so forth. The webserver 932 may include a mail server or other messaging functionalityfor receiving and routing messages between the social networking system930 and one or more user devices 910. The messages can be instantmessages, queued messages (e.g., email), text and SMS messages, or anyother suitable messaging format.

The API request server 934 allows one or more external systems 920 anduser devices 910 to call access information from the social networkingsystem 930 by calling one or more API functions. The API request server934 may also allow external systems 920 to send information to thesocial networking system 930 by calling APIs. The external system 920,in one embodiment, sends an API request to the social networking system930 via the network 950, and the API request server 934 receives the APIrequest. The API request server 934 processes the request by calling anAPI associated with the API request to generate an appropriate response,which the API request server 934 communicates to the external system 920via the network 950. For example, responsive to an API request, the APIrequest server 934 collects data associated with a user, such as theuser's connections that have logged into the external system 920, andcommunicates the collected data to the external system 920. In anotherembodiment, the user device 910 communicates with the social networkingsystem 930 via APIs in the same manner as external systems 920.

The action logger 940 is capable of receiving communications from theweb server 932 about user actions on and/or off the social networkingsystem 930. The action logger 940 populates the activity log 942 withinformation about user actions, enabling the social networking system930 to discover various actions taken by its users within the socialnetworking system 930 and outside of the social networking system 930.Any action that a particular user takes with respect to another node onthe social networking system 930 may be associated with each user'saccount, through information maintained in the activity log 942 or in asimilar database or other data repository. Examples of actions taken bya user within the social networking system 930 that are identified andstored may include, for example, adding a connection to another user,sending a message to another user, reading a message from another user,viewing content associated with another user, attending an event postedby another user, posting an image, attempting to post an image, or otheractions interacting with another user or another object. When a usertakes an action within the social networking system 930, the action isrecorded in the activity log 942. In one embodiment, the socialnetworking system 930 maintains the activity log 942 as a database ofentries. When an action is taken within the social networking system930, an entry for the action is added to the activity log 942. Theactivity log 942 may be referred to as an action log.

Additionally, user actions may be associated with concepts and actionsthat occur within an entity outside of the social networking system 930,such as an external system 920 that is separate from the socialnetworking system 930. For example, the action logger 940 may receivedata describing a user's interaction with an external system 920 fromthe web server 932. In this example, the external system 920 reports auser's interaction according to structured actions and objects in thesocial graph.

Other examples of actions where a user interacts with an external system920 include a user expressing an interest in an external system 920 oranother entity, a user posting a comment to the social networking system930 that discusses an external system 920 or a web page 922 a within theexternal system 920, a user posting to the social networking system 930a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or other identifier associated with anexternal system 920, a user attending an event associated with anexternal system 920, or any other action by a user that is related to anexternal system 920. Thus, the activity log 942 may include actionsdescribing interactions between a user of the social networking system930 and an external system 920 that is separate from the socialnetworking system 930.

The authorization server 944 enforces one or more privacy settings ofthe users of the social networking system 930. A privacy setting of auser determines how particular information associated with a user can beshared. The privacy setting comprises the specification of particularinformation associated with a user and the specification of the entityor entities with whom the information can be shared. Examples ofentities with which information can be shared may include other users,applications, external systems 920, or any entity that can potentiallyaccess the information. The information that can be shared by a usercomprises user account information, such as profile photos, phonenumbers associated with the user, user's connections, actions taken bythe user such as adding a connection, changing user profile information,and the like.

The privacy setting specification may be provided at different levels ofgranularity. For example, the privacy setting may identify specificinformation to be shared with other users; the privacy settingidentifies a work phone number or a specific set of related information,such as, personal information including profile photo, home phonenumber, and status. Alternatively, the privacy setting may apply to allthe information associated with the user. The specification of the setof entities that can access particular information can also be specifiedat various levels of granularity. Various sets of entities with whichinformation can be shared may include, for example, all friends of theuser, all friends of friends, all applications, or all external systems920. One embodiment allows the specification of the set of entities tocomprise an enumeration of entities. For example, the user may provide alist of external systems 920 that are allowed to access certaininformation. Another embodiment allows the specification to comprise aset of entities along with exceptions that are not allowed to access theinformation. For example, a user may allow all external systems 920 toaccess the user's work information, but specify a list of externalsystems 920 that are not allowed to access the work information. Certainembodiments call the list of exceptions that are not allowed to accesscertain information a “block list”. External systems 920 belonging to ablock list specified by a user are blocked from accessing theinformation specified in the privacy setting. Various combinations ofgranularity of specification of information, and granularity ofspecification of entities, with which information is shared arepossible. For example, all personal information may be shared withfriends whereas all work information may be shared with friends offriends.

The authorization server 944 contains logic to determine if certaininformation associated with a user can be accessed by a user's friends,external systems 920, and/or other applications and entities. Theexternal system 920 may need authorization from the authorization server944 to access the user's more private and sensitive information, such asthe user's work phone number. Based on the user's privacy settings, theauthorization server 944 determines if another user, the external system920, an application, or another entity is allowed to access informationassociated with the user, including information about actions taken bythe user.

In some embodiments, the user device 910 can include a time-lapse mediacontent module 918. The time-lapse media content module 918 can, forexample, be implemented as the time-lapse media content module 102 ofFIG. 1. Other features of the time-lapse media content module 918 arediscussed herein in connection with the time-lapse media content module102.

Hardware Implementation

The foregoing processes and features can be implemented by a widevariety of machine and computer system architectures and in a widevariety of network and computing environments. FIG. 10 illustrates anexample of a computer system 1000 that may be used to implement one ormore of the embodiments described herein in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The computer system 1000 includes sets ofinstructions for causing the computer system 1000 to perform theprocesses and features discussed herein. The computer system 1000 may beconnected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the computer system 1000 may operate in the capacity of aserver machine or a client machine in a client-server networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. In an embodiment of the invention, the computersystem 1000 may be the social networking system 930, the user device910, and the external system 1020, or a component thereof. In anembodiment of the invention, the computer system 1000 may be one serveramong many that constitutes all or part of the social networking system930.

The computer system 1000 includes a processor 1002, a cache 1004, andone or more executable modules and drivers, stored on acomputer-readable medium, directed to the processes and featuresdescribed herein. Additionally, the computer system 1000 includes a highperformance input/output (I/O) bus 1006 and a standard I/O bus 1008. Ahost bridge 1010 couples processor 1002 to high performance I/O bus1006, whereas I/O bus bridge 1012 couples the two buses 1006 and 1008 toeach other. A system memory 1014 and one or more network interfaces 1016couple to high performance I/O bus 1006. The computer system 1000 mayfurther include video memory and a display device coupled to the videomemory (not shown). Mass storage 1018 and I/O ports 1020 couple to thestandard I/O bus 1008. The computer system 1000 may optionally include akeyboard and pointing device, a display device, or other input/outputdevices (not shown) coupled to the standard I/O bus 1008. Collectively,these elements are intended to represent a broad category of computerhardware systems, including but not limited to computer systems based onthe x86-compatible processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of SantaClara, Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured byAdvanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as anyother suitable processor.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of the computersystem 1000, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, BSD operatingsystems, and the like. Other implementations are possible.

The elements of the computer system 1000 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, the network interface 1016 provides communicationbetween the computer system 1000 and any of a wide range of networks,such as an Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, etc. Themass storage 1018 provides permanent storage for the data andprogramming instructions to perform the above-described processes andfeatures implemented by the respective computing systems identifiedabove, whereas the system memory 1014 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporarystorage for the data and programming instructions when executed by theprocessor 1002. The I/O ports 1020 may be one or more serial and/orparallel communication ports that provide communication betweenadditional peripheral devices, which may be coupled to the computersystem 1000.

The computer system 1000 may include a variety of system architectures,and various components of the computer system 1000 may be rearranged.For example, the cache 1004 may be on-chip with processor 1002.Alternatively, the cache 1004 and the processor 1002 may be packedtogether as a “processor module”, with processor 1002 being referred toas the “processor core”. Furthermore, certain embodiments of theinvention may neither require nor include all of the above components.For example, peripheral devices coupled to the standard I/O bus 1008 maycouple to the high performance I/O bus 1006. In addition, in someembodiments, only a single bus may exist, with the components of thecomputer system 1000 being coupled to the single bus. Moreover, thecomputer system 1000 may include additional components, such asadditional processors, storage devices, or memories.

In general, the processes and features described herein may beimplemented as part of an operating system or a specific application,component, program, object, module, or series of instructions referredto as “programs”. For example, one or more programs may be used toexecute specific processes described herein. The programs typicallycomprise one or more instructions in various memory and storage devicesin the computer system 1000 that, when read and executed by one or moreprocessors, cause the computer system 1000 to perform operations toexecute the processes and features described herein. The processes andfeatures described herein may be implemented in software, firmware,hardware (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit), or anycombination thereof.

In one implementation, the processes and features described herein areimplemented as a series of executable modules run by the computer system1000, individually or collectively in a distributed computingenvironment. The foregoing modules may be realized by hardware,executable modules stored on a computer-readable medium (ormachine-readable medium), or a combination of both. For example, themodules may comprise a plurality or series of instructions to beexecuted by a processor in a hardware system, such as the processor1002. Initially, the series of instructions may be stored on a storagedevice, such as the mass storage 1018. However, the series ofinstructions can be stored on any suitable computer readable storagemedium. Furthermore, the series of instructions need not be storedlocally, and could be received from a remote storage device, such as aserver on a network, via the network interface 1016. The instructionsare copied from the storage device, such as the mass storage 1018, intothe system memory 1014 and then accessed and executed by the processor1002. In various implementations, a module or modules can be executed bya processor or multiple processors in one or multiple locations, such asmultiple servers in a parallel processing environment.

Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to,recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices;solid state memories; floppy and other removable disks; hard diskdrives; magnetic media; optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-OnlyMemory (CD ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs)); other similarnon-transitory (or transitory), tangible (or non-tangible) storagemedium; or any type of medium suitable for storing, encoding, orcarrying a series of instructions for execution by the computer system1000 to perform any one or more of the processes and features describedherein.

For purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the description. It will beapparent, however, to one skilled in the art that embodiments of thedisclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In someinstances, modules, structures, processes, features, and devices areshown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the description.In other instances, functional block diagrams and flow diagrams areshown to represent data and logic flows. The components of blockdiagrams and flow diagrams (e.g., modules, blocks, structures, devices,features, etc.) may be variously combined, separated, removed,reordered, and replaced in a manner other than as expressly describedand depicted herein.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”,“other embodiments”, “one series of embodiments”, “some embodiments”,“various embodiments”, or the like means that a particular feature,design, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Theappearances of, for example, the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in anembodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternativeembodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, whetheror not there is express reference to an “embodiment” or the like,various features are described, which may be variously combined andincluded in some embodiments, but also variously omitted in otherembodiments. Similarly, various features are described that may bepreferences or requirements for some embodiments, but not otherembodiments.

The language used herein has been principally selected for readabilityand instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected todelineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is thereforeintended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detaileddescription, but rather by any claims that issue on an application basedhereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the inventionis intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of theinvention, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:providing, by a computing system, an interactive slider element forselecting a time-lapse amount for captured media content; receiving, bythe computing system, a selection of the time-lapse amount via theinteractive slider element; generating, by the computing system, basedon the captured media content, a stabilized time-lapse media contentitem having the time-lapse amount associated with the selection; andpresenting, by the computing system, the stabilized time-lapse mediacontent item.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: generating an efficient representation of the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item; presenting, during the generating of thestabilized time-lapse media content item, the efficient representation;and switching from the presenting of the efficient representation to thepresenting of the stabilized time-lapse media content item when thegenerating of the stabilized time-lapse media content item hascompleted.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein thepresenting of the efficient representation is performed within anallowable time deviation from the receiving of the selection of thetime-lapse amount via the interactive slider element.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the generating of theefficient representation further comprises: approximating at least someorientations associated with frames to be included in the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item, the frames being identified based on thetime-lapse amount associated with the selection.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving asecond selection of a second time-lapse amount via the interactiveslider element; generating, based on the captured media content, asecond stabilized time-lapse media content item having the secondtime-lapse amount associated with the second selection; and presentingthe second stabilized time-lapse media content item.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive sliderelement provides a plurality of selectable time-lapse amount options,and wherein the selection of the time-lapse amount corresponds to oneselectable time-lapse amount option out of the plurality of selectabletime-lapse amount options.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein the plurality of selectable time-lapse amount optionsincludes at least one of a 1× time-lapse amount option, a 2× time-lapseamount option, a 4× time-lapse amount option, a 6× time-lapse amountoption, an 8× time-lapse amount option, a 10× time-lapse amount option,or a 12× time-lapse amount option.
 8. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, further comprising: presenting a first playback time associatedwith the captured media content; and presenting a second playback timeassociated with the stabilized time-lapse media content item having thetime-lapse amount.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,further comprising: presenting an indication of the time-lapse amountwithin an allowable time deviation from the receiving of the selectionof the time-lapse amount, wherein the indication fades over time. 10.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:providing an option to store, at least temporarily, the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item.
 11. A system comprising: at least oneprocessor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by theat least one processor, cause the system to perform: providing aninteractive slider element for selecting a time-lapse amount forcaptured media content; receiving a selection of the time-lapse amountvia the interactive slider element; generating, based on the capturedmedia content, a stabilized time-lapse media content item having thetime-lapse amount associated with the selection; and presenting thestabilized time-lapse media content item.
 12. The system of claim 11,wherein the instructions cause the system to further perform: generatingan efficient representation of the stabilized time-lapse media contentitem; presenting, during the generating of the stabilized time-lapsemedia content item, the efficient representation; and switching from thepresenting of the efficient representation to the presenting of thestabilized time-lapse media content item when the generating of thestabilized time-lapse media content item has completed.
 13. The systemof claim 12, wherein the generating of the efficient representationfurther comprises: approximating at least some orientations associatedwith frames to be included in the stabilized time-lapse media contentitem, the frames being identified based on the time-lapse amountassociated with the selection.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein theinstructions cause the system to further perform: receiving a secondselection of a second time-lapse amount via the interactive sliderelement; generating, based on the captured media content, a secondstabilized time-lapse media content item having the second time-lapseamount associated with the second selection; and presenting the secondstabilized time-lapse media content item.
 15. The system of claim 11,wherein the instructions cause the system to further perform: presentinga first playback time associated with the captured media content; andpresenting a second playback time associated with the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item having the time-lapse amount.
 16. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructionsthat, when executed by at least one processor of a computing system,cause the computing system to perform: providing an interactive sliderelement for selecting a time-lapse amount for captured media content;receiving a selection of the time-lapse amount via the interactiveslider element; generating, based on the captured media content, astabilized time-lapse media content item having the time-lapse amountassociated with the selection; and presenting the stabilized time-lapsemedia content item.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the computing systemto further perform: generating an efficient representation of thestabilized time-lapse media content item; presenting, during thegenerating of the stabilized time-lapse media content item, theefficient representation; and switching from the presenting of theefficient representation to the presenting of the stabilized time-lapsemedia content item when the generating of the stabilized time-lapsemedia content item has completed.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the generating ofthe efficient representation further comprises: approximating at leastsome orientations associated with frames to be included in thestabilized time-lapse media content item, the frames being identifiedbased on the time-lapse amount associated with the selection.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein theinstructions cause the computing system to further perform: receiving asecond selection of a second time-lapse amount via the interactiveslider element; generating, based on the captured media content, asecond stabilized time-lapse media content item having the secondtime-lapse amount associated with the second selection; and presentingthe second stabilized time-lapse media content item.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein theinstructions cause the computing system to further perform: presenting afirst playback time associated with the captured media content; andpresenting a second playback time associated with the stabilizedtime-lapse media content item having the time-lapse amount.